What Lies Ahead
by Sk8erGrl
Summary: On patrol Faith encounters her teenage daughter who traveled to the past with some important information.


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What Lies Ahead

Author: Sk8erGrl1

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Summary: On patrol Faith encounters her teenage daughter who traveled to the past with some important information. Faith/Xander

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Disclaimer: The only thing I own in Colby/Delia, everything else belongs to Joss and Mutant Enemy.

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Spoilers: For 'Chosen' and 'Not Fade Away'

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Pairings: Faith/Xander, Spike/Illyria/Fred, with some Fred/Gunn

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Author's Note: Alright, I got this idea suddenly today and couldn't help but write it. Basically this takes place nine years after the finale of Angel. Faith and Xander are married with a four year old daughter, the Spike/Illyria/Fred stuff will be explained a little in this chapter and more in the next few. Please review and tell me what you think of this. Should I continue or not?

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Chapter One: Encounter

**_F_**aith knew right away that this girl was her daughter. Not by some cosmic mother's intuition thing, not by the girl's pouty full lips or her mass of long, unruly, curly brown hair but by her eyes. Her big, brown chocolate eyes had the same fire and determination Faith knew all too well. She saw it every day in her now four-year-old daughter and in herself whenever she looked in the mirror. It was something only they had, even Angel and Xander said they'd never seen that look in anyone else's eyes before.

The girl was fighting off a gang of vampires, stake clutched tightly in her hands, and matching the all the vamps blow for blow. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed, and she very well could of with her flowered blue Hawaiian pajama pants, white tank top and her hair even more unruly than usual, Faith was sure. For a moment, Faith just stood back utterly shocked and watched her fight.

After a moment, a bike riding by distracted the girl and one of the remaining vampires took advantage of this moment and attacked, pinning her up again the wall of the alley. It was then that Faith snapped into reality and sprung forward, staking the Vampire and then planting a roundhouse kick on the jaw of the last one and staked him, not allowing it to recover and fight. "Everythin' five by five?" Faith asked the girl, her daughter.

The girl stared at Faith, wide eyed for a moment, not sure what to say. There was no doubt in Faith's mind that she knew who she was and Faith was almost certain that the future version of her daughter hadn't expected, or at least had hoped not, to have run into her. She nodded and then gruffly replied, "Yeah, everything's five by five. Thanks Mom."

Faith was not at all phased by the last statement, it only confirmed her suspicion about the girl. The girl, she couldn't come to think of her as anything but that right now, couldn't bring her mind to call her by her name, the name that Faith had given her at birth. What was she supposed to do now, wave and go back off home, forgetting this strange encounter all together? Hell no, not her, not Faith, not ever.

"Don't seem too surprised," she noted, smiling knowingly, "Dad and Willow said you wouldn't be."

"The eyes gave it away," Faith shrugged, "Explanation?"

She shook her head, curls whipping against her cheek, "Not now. Not here."

"Alright," Faith nodded, "What now? We go somewhere where you can tell me what he hell's going on, or do I walk away and wait for you to come out and search me down. 'Cause I'll tell ya right now that ain't going to happen."

"Now? We go home," she said, tucking her stake away, "To where everyone can hear this. Specifically, you, dad, Dawn, Willow and Angel."

"Guess the Aunt and Uncle thing your dad keeps tryin' to pawn off on you never stuck, huh?" Faith chuckled, ready to give Xander the 'I told you so' he deserved when they got back to the house.

"Nah," She shook her head, "but don't get all high and mighty with dad though. He wins the next one."

"Next one?" Faith raised a brow, intrigued to know what the 'next' on-going fight with Xander would be about. The two had their fair share of fights, she'd admit, but she loved him nonetheless. Xander had been the one who had been there for her since the beginning, had stuck by her side no matter what she did, no matter how horrible she treated him. He was the one who had been there when she mustered up her courage to leave Wood, her shelter, her safe guard, and her first real relationship. It had been hard because Faith relied on him to keep her straight, had relied on him to show her what she was supposed to do. In the end, all that mattered was that he wasn't the one. Xander was.

"You'll see," she smirked and walked on ahead of Faith, not looking back. She knew Faith was going to follow and as much as Faith wanted to disprove her she didn't really have a choice in that since either way she was heading back home now, the same place she was.

They arrived home not long later and as soon as Faith entered the house she noticed it was eerily quiet. Especially for a weekend Angel, Spike, Illyria/Fred, and Gunn were visiting. Faith frowned and closed the door behind her, looking around the house for any signs of life. Her teenage version daughter stood quietly beside her with a look on her face that might indicate that she was reminiscing. "Yo! Anyone about?" Faith shouted into the house.

"Mommy!" a four-year-old girl ran out from the kitchen and into Faith's arms. Her long, curly hair resembled her older clone's and of course, her big brown eyes with the same fire as her mother's.

"Colby!" Faith hugged her daughter tightly before letting her loose on the floor. Colby hopped over to her older self and stared up at her curiously. Faith watched carefully slightly worried about what would go over. This was confusing already; Faith couldn't imagine what it would be like for her daughter to try comprehending who this girl was.

"Who're you?" Colby asked, eyes shining in delight upon meeting a new person, "A friend of mommy's?"

"You could say that," older Colby replied, stooping down to the level of the four-year-old, and smiled at her. For the first time, she didn't look so rough, so much like Faith herself. It was funny how Colby could do that to people, even her older self.

"What's you're name?" Colby looked up her expectantly and Faith swore she stopped breathing a moment. This was where it might get hard, for anyone. The two Colbys looked at each other; the teenage version's face was contorted in thoughtfulness as she thought up an answer.

"Delia," she replied finally, "My names Delia."

"My middle name's Cordelia," Colby announced, "After a friend of daddy's. Delia's kinda like Cordelia, isn't it mommy?"

"It is," Faith nodded, smiling at the now dubbed Delia. During the nine months before Colby's birth they had thought long and hard on a name for the child. It was only when the baby was two days old did she get her name. Colby for her head of dark hair, that was what her named meant, Dark Haired, Willow had told them. She'd been throwing names at Faith and Xander for nine months and finally, that one had come up. Then, Cordelia after none other than Cordelia Chase whom had regretfully passed away five years prior to Colby's birth. Angel had been the one to offer it as a middle name, in memory of their dearly departed friend. So, there they'd had it, Colby Cordelia Harris, their little bundle of joy and hope.

"Faith?" Xander's voice carried down to them from up the stairs and Faith looked up to see him standing at the top of the stairs with Illyria and Spike next to him. His long, dark hair fell in front of his eyes and today he wore a blue button down shirt and his jeans. Faith smirked, he looked good.

"That's me," she called back, drawing her daughter towards her with her hand, "What's up?"

"Nibblet needs a bath," Spike called down, "And Blue here volunteered me."

"I have yet to understand the bathing of the young one," Illyria's response came in her same, calm, voice, "I wish for the half breed to show me once more." Since the battle against the Senior Partners had ended Illyria had looked to Spike to take over Wesley's role in her life as her guide. Gunn had been injured badly, but survived, and Angel did as well, but Illyria had taken more to Spike than to them. Then, over the next few years it appeared that Fred's soul hadn't been destroyed completely but that she still lived on in Illyria. Since then the two shared a body, each had their own time out in the open.

"Right then, let's go," Spike sighed, "Comin' Nibblet?"

"I don't wanna take a bath!" Colby pouted determined, "Do I really hafta mommy?"

"Sorry Little Bee, no choice," Faith nudged her daughter towards the stairs and, knowing she couldn't win with Faith, Colby scampered up into Spike's arms and began to try and work her charm on him. Xander then came down the stairs just as Angel came in from the kitchen with a cup of warm blood in hands.

"Hey," Angel nodded, and then stopped and looked at Delia, or Colby, or whatever she was calling herself.

"Who's she?" Xander asked his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist, "A new Slayer?"

"You could say that," Faith replied, leaning into Xander. Angel and Xander then looked over at the teenager and Faith saw that it clicked in both their eyes almost instantly. "This is Colby Cordelia Harris all growed up but we're just gonna call her Delia for now."

"How is this physically possible?" Xander asked, "I mean, Colby just when upstairs with Spike and Illyria..."

"Time Travel Spell," Delia shrugged, "And let's just say you'll know a lot more than you'd like to about it in the future. Now where's Dawn and Willow so we can get this started?"

"Get what started exactly?" Angel wondered.

"What I came here for," she said simply.

"Which we can't know until the squirt and Red are here," Faith sighed, and turned to Xander, "Xand."

He nodded, "I'm on it." Then, he was out of the entrance and into the kitchen were one of their many phones were kept. Faith turned back to her future daughter and Angel.

"You gonna need a room?" She wondered and when Delia nodded Faith turned to Angel, who without Faith having to say anything motioned to the girl to follow him, which she did. When Faith was alone now, she headed into the living room and plopped onto the couch, putting her hand to her head. She was getting a headache, already.


End file.
